Robert Towne’s under-rated and authentically sweaty love triangle thriller boasts a trio of great lead performances from Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Kurt Russell as, respectively, the drug dealer, the moll, and the cop determined to put the bad guy away.
It’s the kind of film noir Bogart and Bacall used to make – only with nudity, sex, and four-letter words.
It scorches. It steams. It leaves you breathless. It may also leave you confused. The plot is contrived and illogical. Who cares? We’re talking movie stars here.
We’re talking Mel Gibson as Mac, a California drug dealer trying to go straight. We’re talking Kurt Russell as his best buddy Nick, a narcotics cop who refuses to bust him.
We’re talking drop-dead gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer as Jo Ann, the delicious, sophisticated restaurant owner who warms up the sheets in both their beds.
Mac and Nick fall for Jo Ann. She beds them both, then gets kidnapped by a Mexican drug lord named Carlos (Raul Julia). Mac has to kill Carlos before Carlos kills Jo Ann. Jo Ann has to save Mac before his former schoolfriend busts him.
Don’t try to figure it out, Just sit back, soak up the glamour, and concentrate on the erotic, sexy, sun-kissed stars. Nothing much matters as long as Michelle Pfeiffer keeps her clothes off.
Dale ‘Mac’ McKussic
Mel Gibson Jo Ann Vallenari
Michelle Pfeiffer Lieutenant Nick Frescia
Kurt Russell Carlos/Commandante Escalante
Raul Julia Maguire
J T Walsh Gregg Lindroff
Arliss Howard Shaleen
Ann Magnuson Andy Leonard
Arye Gross Cody McKussic
Gabriel Damon Arturo
Garret Pearson Vittorio
Eric Thiele Leland
Tom Nolan
Director
Robert Towne
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